New federal cabinet appointments teased out to public on Twitter by Harper

OTTAWA – Call it a Twitter tease.

The use of social media is figuring prominently in Monday’s federal cabinet shuffle, with the prime minister’s Twitter account dropping out strategically timed hints about what is unfolding at Rideau Hall.

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Stephen Harper even makes a cameo video appearance in a six-second clip telling his 353,000 followers to stay tuned for “exclusive details” of how he is realigning ministers and their portfolios.

There is usually a tight blanket of secrecy wrapped around such announcements.

Before the ceremony had even taken place, Harper’s account had tweeted that he was appointing eight new faces to cabinet, including “four strong women.”

He even let slip Shelly Glover would be the new heritage minister, Alberta MP Michelle Rempel would be appointed as minister of state for western economic diversification and that Bernard Valcourt will stay on as aboriginal affairs minister.

Unlike previous shuffles, the media was not given an advance, embargoed copy of the new cabinet list, but rather told to watch the prime minister’s Twitter feed.